Game Description: Resistance 3 is a full-featured adventure shooter based in a brutal alternative universe in which humanity is faced with a struggle for survival against a relentless alien race in a decimated America.

Resistance 3 Multiplayer Hands-On Impressions

Insomniac Games gave the press its first look at the multiplayer portion of Resistance 3 during a hands-on event at GDC on Wednesday, which means I spent a good 45 minutes dishing and receiving gorgeously presented death in a variety of ways, and loved every single minute of it. (Of course, as I've said before, press events are the only place/time where I can consistently rank in the top three for every match, so that certainly contributes to my enjoyment, but it also just so happens that the game is an absolute blast and is looking quite strong even with several months to go before release.)

Resistance 3's multiplayer trims back the maximum number of players per match to 16, a far cry from the record setting 60 that Resistance 2 supported. This rather dramatic reduction, as Insomniac Games creative director Marcus Smith explained, allowed the team to create a tighter, more focused multiplayer experience. And, based on my short time with the game, it sure has.

For our hands-on session, we played Team Deathmatch (we were assured that there will be objective based modes as well in the final game) on a map set in bombed out prison in the Republic of Chad. Exotic, no? Well, get used to it, because all of the multiplayer maps are set outside of the United States. This particular map was all about up close and personal encounters, which was balaced against explosive corridor massacres. There's a great flow to the map, but this also leads to a lot of shooting gallery scenarios with teams pouring into specific sections from opposite ends, and trying to navigate through the ensuing mayhem.

The longer I played, the more I realized that the only thing surpassing the stellar visuals and presentation elements were the tightness and satisfaction of the controls. The weapons also pack serious and unique punches, and you can customize your loadout (or pick one of the four preset loadouts) to fit your play style. Helping with this are the new active and passive abilities.

Active abilities are assigned to left and right on the d-pad, and they include things like creating an ammo drop point for your team, or spawning a holographic decoy of yourself to distract enemies. Passive abilities are just buffs, similar to perks in Call of Duty. One makes you run faster, one increases your rate of fire when you aim down the sights, etc. It's just another way for players to experiment and craft the most customized experience possible.

Multiplayer also includes killstreak bonuses, and each side (human and chimera) has unique bonuses available to them. So while the chimera might be able to cloak after three consecutive kills, the humans will gain access to an energy shield. Yes, it's clear that Insomniac took more than a couple cues from COD, but you can't argue with results, and the result is one hell of a good time.

If this sounds like your kind of scene, then you'll definitely want to keep your eyes peeled for the Resistance 3 multiplayer beta launching later this year on the PlayStation Network. And expect plenty more info over the coming weeks and months as the game gets closer to release.

all that I saw was good but it still look like it takes a whole clip to kill someone . bullet spongeing is the biggest issue with FPS's and I don't understand why , a bullet to the head and 3 to the chest unless its Halo because shields are part of the gameplay. And I am not talking about when the player in the video or his enemy had a bubble shield up but when it was bullet to flesh

i hope its open to everyone and not just playstation plus members because i dont think there are more that 100 thousand that are. that i know of i could be wrong but im just saying that because i want to be in the beta

I love that someone out there is at least willing to make a game that is like Halo, rather than like Call of Duty. The addition of killstreaks and stuff is interesting, but sounds like such a great shooter can get even better, and also that the distinctions between the chimera and human are back like in the original i.e. different abilities.